Louise Pakeman

Change of Skies is a coming of age Historical Fiction set in the 1950’s. Sue is discontented with her life, believing all her mother is concerned with is her young twin brothers, and decides to return to England. She tells her mother is enrolling in art school but her only thought is escaping her boring life in Tasmania.

The story follows Sue’s life in England as she makes new friends and reconnects with an old friend of her mother’s. Alternating between Stevie’s (Sue’s mother) life in Tasmania as she starts to daydream about what might have been if she had followed a different path.

I’ll start by saying Pakeman’s writing is beautiful, descriptive and elegant. However even that could not negate the awful characters. Sue had self esteem problems and was jealous of everyone and blamed her mother for everything in her life. Maybe I could understand this behaviour if Sue was 16 but she was 22. The mother had a lovely husband and step-son but moped around all day thinking of some past male friend and the what-ifs.
David Jones was a total jerk!! His thoughts…..
’I have this theory,’ he went on, as if she had not said anything, ‘that experienced men should initiate young women and vice versa. I usually keep it to myself, it goes down like a lead balloon in polite society.’ He grinned. ‘Another lesson or two and you will be ready to teach that young man of yours how to make love to a desirable woman.’

The story was all wrapped up neatly at the end.

I will be giving this author another try as the writing was engaging. I only hope her other books have more likeable characters.… (meer)